Stephanie Toland
The Pierce Auditorium filled with eager people all looking and stumbling for their correct seats. Families gathering with friends all waited to see and hear the same thing, the Kadima String Quartet and Friends.
The room quieted as the lights dimmed and two violinists, one viola, and one cello player walked to the center of the stage and sat down. I started thinking what are so great about these musicians?
They prepared their instruments and, after a short pause, began the notes of the first movement, “Moderato e Semplice” from Quartet No. 1 in D major, first of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s three string quartets. From the instant the music touched my ears I felt like I was in a different world.
Everything blurred until it was just my eyes focusing on the musicians and their expressions while they made such powerful music that filled the room.
The song came to an end and the audience cheered and applauded in amazement. They then began the second movement, the slow and relaxing “Adante Cantabile.”
The third movement started with a bang as it woke you up from the previous and grasped listeners in what some of the audience called magic.
Dancing in their seats while putting so much power and emotion into their instruments, the quartet ended their fourth movement “Finale, Allegro Giusto.”
They audience jumped from their seats, clapping, cheering and handing them flowers.
Violinists Yi-Huan Zhao and Kevin Kumar, viola player Beth Elliott and cellist Beth Park-Zhao walked off stage with smiles on their faces.
According to them, they felt pretty good about their performance and accomplished they had expected to.
They also said they are manly focused on the music when they are on stage and that they are in sync with one another “not to crash the plane,” as Elliott said, which is why they rehearse a lot.
They chose this performance’s pieces because they were romantic and that is what they wanted to base their show on.
After intermission they were joined by friends, in the form of the Kadima Consortium and conductor Steve Piazza.
They began playing a Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten, which include the pieces, “Boisterous Bourr√©e,” “Playful Pizzicato,” “Sentimental Saraband,” and “Frolicsome Finale.”
It felt like going through different seasons of music with all the variety of sounds.
The performance ended with Introduction and Allegro for a String Quartet and String Orchestra by Edward Elgar. The Audience rose and cheered after the show, some already walking backstage to compliment the musicians.
“It was beautiful, very moving, very emotional,” said Piazza. “Just as beautiful as I hoped it would be.”